Playing With Fire
by Mayyy12
Summary: "I know the consequences of playing with fire. You get burned. I've played the game one too many times, and I don't intend to do it again... You see, no matter how you play you always lose, and if you avoid playing, it finds you, believe me it does..."


Playing With Fire

_ I know the consequences of playing with fire. You get burned. I've played the game one too many times, and I don't intend to do it again... You see, no matter how you play you always lose, and if you avoid playing, it finds you, believe me it does..._

I wake up to the sound of an obnoxiously loud alarm clock. _Ugh_, I hate school. I get up drearily and head over to my wardrobe. My wardrobe mainly consists of three colors; black, green and purple. Today I decide to go with a pair of navy blue jeans, a long sleeve purple t-shirt, my usual black gloves and tall black boots to match. I then enter the shower, only to be taken fully by surprise when freezing cold water comes sprouting out of the hose. I shiver.

"Kurt!" I yell, knowing he was behind this.

"Sorry!" he says in that thick accent of his. I groan in frustration. Once I'm all dressed, I blow dry my short brown hair (as well as the few white strands of hair that frame my face). I decide to clip back my bangs for a change. I don't bother to put on my makeup, I was feeling really lazy today.

As I rush down the stairs, I collide with Scott. I nearly lose my balance, but he catches me. His hand scrapes against the hem of my shirt, and I try to calm myself.

"You okay Rogue?" he asks. I can tell he was in a rush, yet it's really sweet of him to take the time and check if I was okay anyways.

"Yeah, I'm great!" I smile, which isn't a facial expression I use often.

He smiles in return, "Good, you look really nice by the way. I like your hair clipped back like that. It's nice to see your face," he walks off. My heart soars.

As I race to catch the bus, I feel someone yank my backpack and before I can do anything about it, I'm being dragged into a small alley.

"What the-" I then recognize the tall figure who is dragging me. Gambit. His real name is Remy LeBeau, but everyone calls him Gambit. He's the school's bad boy. A heart breaker to say the least. The thing is though, he has no effect on me. Honestly, I couldn't care less about him. Lately though he seems to have become quite taken with _me... _to my dismay.

"No welcome, _ma cherie?_" he asks as he releases his grip on my bag. Did I mention he was french? That's the reason why so many girls at my school practically drool over him.

"No," I answer flatly, as I try to smooth the wrinkles he had formed on my bag.

"I see," he said in a serious tone, but anyone could see he was faking it.

"What do you want Gambit? You've already made me miss the bus, so why don't you just spit it out already?" I cross my arms.

"Well why don't I drive you then?" he offers, completely ignoring my question.

"Thanks, but no thanks," I answer as I begin to walk away.

He grips onto my arm roughly and hisses, "I insist."

I can't believe I let him drive me. Clearly I was out of my mind! I knew he wasn't going to take me to school, yet I stupidly let him take me away anyhow. We're now at this strange little town that I've never seen before. Yet from the looks of it, I assume it was a good thing I haven't. The buildings were dull and broken down. People were walking outside in the streets, making trades in an outdoor market place. Kids who looked like they had been starving for days, were roaming around without parents, causing mayhem. The sight was painful to see. I couldn't help but wonder, _Why would Gambit want to take me here? _I shivered as we made our way through the poverty stricken town.

Apparently my expression showed too much because Gambit said, "You scared, _ma cherie_?" Yet there was no conviction of genuine concern in his voice. He merely chuckled when I didn't respond. Once we finally reached his destination (wherever that may be) he ordered me to get out of the car.

"What if I don't wanna?" I challenged. He glared at me for a moment, but then a spark of amusement lit his eyes.

"Fine then, I shall go on my way. Good luck finding your way out..." he called as he walked away, twirling the keys to his car around his finger. I huffed and followed him, remaining a fair distance. _How did I get myself into this mess?_

Gambit lead me to a large field. It wasn't anything too spectacular, but it was by far the most decent looking part of the town I had seen. It was hidden behind a circle of trees, so no one could see us. I wasn't sure if this was good or bad. Although, if Gambit did start any trouble all I needed to do was touch him. In fact, why hadn't I thought of doing so sooner? I then decided that when the opportunity presented itself I would take it, without a doubt.

As we made our way across the field, he finally decided to plop down on the ground, his back propped against an oak tree. He gestured for me to sit next to him. I decided to sit across from him, leaning against my own tree. He stared at me for a moment, curiously. I hated it when he looked at me this way. Every look he gave me came off as him laughing at me. Like there was some joke, I didn't know about. I wanted to smack him, but I knew that my hitting him would knock him out much longer than a normal person's slap would. There really was some downsides to my powers. Not that I need to go into much details, but other mutants can touch, feel, and most importantly smack, without worrying about killing the people they make contact with. Not that Gambit means that much to me, but even I know it wouldn't be right to hurt him, when he hasn't made any attempt to hurt me... yet.

"You are quite the puzzle," he smiled.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" I crossed my arms defensively.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing..."

"Then what _are _you saying?" I ask, tired of the games.

"I'm saying you've caught my- _special attention..."_ I noticed his eyes briefly scan up and down me, then glance back into my eyes. He smiled that annoyingly coy and playful smile of his.

"Lucky me..." I muttered sarcastically. He just laughed. "So where are we exactly?" I ask impatiently.

"Welcome _ma cherie, _to my town!" He spread his arms like we were in the most glorious place in the world, then tucked his hands behind his head.

"_This_ is your town? _You_ grew up here?" I was shocked. I naturally assumed he was from Paris or somewhere in France. Then again, I did always notice a certain Louisiana twang to his voice.

"Born and raised," he exclaimed proudly.

"What's with the fake accent then?" I asked, but I didn't even need an answer. The only thing that would make girls consider him alluring and attractive is that he was a foreign student with a mysterious past. I bet he wasn't even as bad as he lead people to believe! I don't know who was more stupid, him or all the girls who fell at his feet. Although at the moment, I felt the dumbest of them all.

"You make me sick!" I yell, not letting him answer my question. I jump up and storm off, not wanting to hear anymore of this. I feel him following but continue anyways. I head back through the market place, not caring that once I reached the car I wouldn't be able to go anywhere. All I wanted to do was get away from him. As I finally got away from Gambit, I thought about why I was so angry... I mean, I knew it was bad that he lied, but why should I be so affected by it? I suddenly lose my train of thought when a man grabs me by the arm.

"How about this fine specimen!" the rather large man yells. He was short and plump and had tiny, beady eyes. He's gripping my wrist tightly and raising it, so high that it hurts.

"Let me go!" I shout as I try to release my arm from his iron grasp.

"Come now people, I know she's got a little spunk to her, but who doesn't like that?" he chuckled cruelly.

"I'm warning you-"

"Oh," he laughs "you hear that? She's _warning _me. Do I hear 100?"

"100!" I heard a voice yell.

"200!" another called.

"Do I hear 300?" he hollered, clearly surprised at all the hype he was getting.

"How about you let her go for free, and in exchange I won't kill you," exclaimed a man, leaning against the wall. His hat was tilted just enough to cast a shadow, hiding his features, but he didn't fool me. _Gambit. Why won't he leave me alone? He certainly doesn't need to defend me. _I try to slide off my glove. All I needed to do was touch this man and all my problems would go away. Too bad I strapped my gloves a little too tight this morning.

"What are you going to do boy?" snickered the man. Gambit then walked closer, shuffling a deck of cards.

"Trust me, you don't know what you're dealing with mate..."

"Oh, so now you're Australian?" I blurt. Probably not the most appropriate thing to say at the time, but I couldn't help it. Gambit stared at me, not revealing any sort of emotion, not even the slightest bit of amusement. He looked dangerously angry.

"Oh, so what? You're going to drown me in your cards?" the ugly man laughed, completely ignoring my comment.

"Perhaps," Gambit responded, letting his powers play into action. The cards ignited into fire, which seemed to reflect in his now visible eyes. The mans grip loosened, just enough for me to bend my wrist and remove my glove. He gasped, "Gambit" and backed away. Fear overtaking his face. I swiftly pressed my hand against his cheek before he could get away. For a moment he didn't seem effected by my touch, but then his face changed into that of horror. His face grew a sickly pale color and his veins became much more prominent. His eyes widened for a split second, before rolling back into his head. If I hadn't seen this happen so many times before I would've been terrified. The townspeople were shocked.

"Mutants!" a man in the crowd yelled. A riot started.

Gambit then grabbed hold of my gloved hand and lead me towards the car. We ran as fast as we could, creating obstacles as we did so. By the time we reached the car the villagers had gained on us. Gambit opened his door, and stepped out to form a semi-circle of fire, barricading them from coming any closer.

"Please go to your houses, pretend you saw nothing. Farewell my town," he dismissed then sped off. I couldn't help but look at him in awe.

"_That_ is where you grew up?" I asked again, unable to wrap it all around my head.

"Charming place, isn't it?" he laughed humorlessly.

"Real charming..." I agreed.

"So would you mind explaining why you ran off like that? I warned you it wasn't safe."

"I-I was mad... I don't know why..."

"You were jealous," he stated. He didn't even asked he said it with such pride I almost didn't question it. _Almost._

"What makes you think that?" I snorted.

"Well you made it quite obvious. You were so enraged when you assumed I used my accent to win other girls affection. You probably thought they were foolish for falling for it, shortly realizing you have yourself... Thus you presumed I was a player and used that as an excuse to keep yourself distanced from me." Practically all he said was true, yet his cocky demeanor made me want to deny it all. _How dare he assume how I feel? _Yet I wasn't _that _good of a liar.

"So you admit it? Your fake accent was all a ploy to win the girls hearts?" I urged.

"No, that is another story, for another day," he dismissed. I didn't ask anymore questions. I understood how that felt. Not wanting to explain yourself all the time.

"So why would your family let you stay in such a town?" I asked after a long moment of silence.

"I didn't have family. None that were alive anyways..." he said so calmly. I was speechless.

"You were..."

"Homeless. Yes."

"Gambit I-"

"Now don't you worry you're pretty little head about it missy," he kept his eyes on the road when he said this. I had never seen this side of him before. I found my hand (the gloved one of course) slide into his on it's own accord. I looked into his eyes and could see a little bit of myself in them. I saw loneliness. Yet as my hand fit into is, I also saw this burning fire, this hope and desire that I was feeling at that very moment too. He rubbed his thumb against the top of my hand.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"What?"

"When you touch..." he said, so softly I wasn't sure if I heard him right.

"Yes. For a second the pain just stings through my hand, but it travels. It shoots up my arms. It's like- like a wave of electricity. And then it reaches my head. That's where it hurts most. All the memories. They're too much." I don't know why I was telling him all of this but for some reason I felt safe. Like I could tell Gambit everything. I then felt a tear roll down my cheek. Then another. They were coming fast now. I rubbed at them vigorously with my free hand. I hated crying in front of people, it made me feel so vulnerable.

Gambit then lifted my hand slowly and carefully, up to his perfectly defined lips, and pressed them gently against the thin cloth of my glove. Although there was no direct contact I felt a strange sensation build inside of me. It felt as if my head was spinning. I didn't even notice we had arrived at school until I heard the door swing open and felt Remy's hand get yanked away from mine. I then saw Scott, pinning Gambit to the side of his car, his glasses glowing a bright red. I unbuckled my seat belt and hopped out of the car.

"What the hell did you do with her?" I heard Scott yell.

"Nothing of your concern mate," Gambit smiled sheepishly. This angered Scott all the more. I found myself annoyed that Gambit was still trying to sell the Australian accent now.

Apparently he could tell too because he shrugged, "What? I guess rooming with John has been getting to me." I simply rolled my eyes and giggled. _I giggled? _While Gambit and I shared this private joke I could tell Scott's anger was excelling. Soon he wouldn't be able to control himself. I tried to pull him away, but he just pushed me off. I knew this fight couldn't happen, at least not now. Scott left me no choice. I quickly touched his neck, yet removed it before it could do any severe damage. Scott slowly drooped to the ground. Gambit looked at me appalled. My face probably mirrored his own... An understanding passed through us though, and Gambit simply tilted his hat in farewell and left, yet not before saying "Goodbye ma cherie, I shall await the day we meet again..." I then noticed a single card left at my feet. _The queen of hearts._

* * *

><p>When we arrived to the Institute, Scott was brought to Xavier and I was told never to use my powers on a fellow teammate again, unless it was to protect him or her (which I personally thought applied to the situation). Thankfully, under Jean's care, Scott recovered quickly. Lucky for me he didn't hold a grudge with me, and things restored to normal quite fast.<p>

As for Gambit, well he continues to come and go as he pleases. Turning my world upside down every sudden appearance he makes. Yet he fills me with something no one ever has before. Some may say love, and some insist it's simply lust. Yet I say it's a fire. It burns inside me, and takes over my entire being. It's dangerous, but I can't get enough of it.

_I know the consequences of playing with fire. You get burned. I've played the game one too many times, and I intend to do it again and again... You see, no matter how you play you always lose, and if you avoid playing, it finds you, believe me it does... but I will keep playing, and I will keep losing because he is worth it. He will find me again, and I will welcome him with open arms..._

_**A/N: Hello! I have been working on this since I wrote the Lance/ Kitty fanfic, and FINALLY finished. As some of you requested, I have decided to make a series of X-Men Evolution fanfics. They will most likely all be one shots, because they seem to come to me much faster and easier. So I hope you liked this! I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one, so please tell me what you think! **_

_** Also, what couple would you like me to work on next? My favorites are Lance/Kitty and Rogue/ Gambit, so should I continue writing about them or should I tackle a new couple? I was thinking Jean and Scott? Or perhaps Amara and John? You're opinions are greatly appreciated so please review!**_

_** Thanks!**_

_** -Mae**_


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